Subject Clue No Clue More Fitting M41 in a 544 Rear brakes lock / thunking noise Mushroomed axle removing drum Big radiator for a PV? '73 142 gas gauge lazy B20 alternator conversion? How far to overbore a B20? Adding brake booster to 122S Adding OD to an M40 ES fuel pump & heavy steering 1800S no spark 444 with B20E overheats 1800E front end bushings 144 rear end sways Splicing 1800S front body Lots more information will be found in the Archive!

Please E-mail us your questions for consideration by our editors. Our panelists are (in alphabetical order): David A. Hueppchen Cameron Lovre Jim McDonald Phil Singher Ten or fifteen recent questions (depending on length) will be carried on this page, which is updated continuously. This is to permit in-depth discussion of topics as necessary. As questions "fall off the bottom" of the menu, they will be Archived, sorted by subject. We know mostly about Volvos ranging from the PV444 through the early K-Jetronic 200-series. As always, we welcome comments and elaboration from other knowledgeable Volvo enthusiasts, to be listed under More in the menu table. Back to the Menu Fitting M41 in a 544 I have a '62 544, and I'm planning to put a M41 transmission in it. Will it be necessary to cut a hole in the transmission tunnel to fit the M41? Anders Persson persa@2.sbbs.se Jim says: Yes, you'll need to widen the tunnel behind the transmission. I've cut a hole 9" (230 mm) wide, 12" (300 mm) behind the shifter to fit an M41 in my 445. Back to the Menu Rear brakes lock / thunking noise I've had my '65 122S for about four months now and I am happy to say that I haven't really had any trouble with it. Last week I applied my brakes with normal pressure and, to my suprise, my rear brakes locked. I started off again with no problems. A day later, when I applied my brakes, I heard a noise like something hit my left rear body panel. Two days later, the same noise happened. Do you have any idea what it was and how I can fix ths problem? Billy Gingrow wtgingrow@stevenstech.org Phil says: Several thoughts occur. A common cause of rear brake locking is a slight amount of fluid leaking from the wheel cylinders, making the brakes "grabby." After one or two brake applications, the moisture cooks off and all seems well for a bit. The noise may not be in the brakes at all -- a grabbing brake will apply sudden force to the torque rods that locate the rear axle; if a bushing is worn or a nut loose, the front of the torque rod will thunk loudy against the car's body. It is also possible that a brake drum is loose and will potentially fall off. Pull the drum (read other related posts on this board and in the archive first!) and see what's going on. Inspect everything that holds the rear end in the car. In any case, you obviously need to repair this immediately -- do not drive the car with it doing what it's doing! Please let us know what you find out. Back to the Menu Mushroomed axle removing drum I have a '69 1800S. It had been sitting in a barn for 12 years and has now spent 1 year in my garage. I am in the process, albeit slowly, of doing the brakes. My problem is this: I still haven't gotten one of the drums off. I also mushroomed the axle in the process because I neglected to put the castle nut flush with the end of the axle. I have been working with a thread file to try to "unmushroom" the axle with little success. I realize that I can always get the axle off by futher damaging the axle, and then have the axle repaired at a machine shop. Does anyone have any better idea? Bob Marks Medfield, MA rpmarks@gis.net David says: If it is mushroomed enough that you can't get the nut on with a little work with a file and a thread file, then cut the mushroomed part off with cutoff wheel or hacksaw. Dress the thread end with a file. Put the nut on backwards -- if there's no clearance left between nut and hub, saw the castle nut to make it thinner. Use proper puller properly. If the drum does not pop loose, apply heat to hub. If the end of the axle is more than a slight amount mushroomed, it will have to be replaced -- not repaired. Do not go to a machine shop that says they can fix this axle! Tapered axles are scary enough when new! I've done this on a couple of "impossible to remove brake drums;" one looked like they took the nut off and used sledge hammer on the axle. Back to the Menu Big radiator for a PV? I have been told that the 140-series radiators will bolt into a '62 or later 544 front clip. Will a 164 also fit? Is there a difference in cooling capacity and size between the 140 and 164 radiators? I am looking for the maximum cooling capability I can put into a 444 that is getting a 4.0 liter Ford V6 transplant, with A/C. I also want the most cost effective / easiest way to do this. Doug Rowe UNCADUCK@aol.com Jim says: Yes, a '70 or earlier 140 (or 122) radiator will fit the 544 front clip, but a 164 or later 140 one won't. If it were up to me, I'd take a 140 / 122 / 544 radiator to my local shop and have them stuff in the most core that fits between the tanks. It shouldn't be too expensive. Us ducks gotta stick together. Back to the Menu '73 142 gas gauge lazy The gas gauge in my '73 142 will not work in the morning. After an hour, or sometimes less, it'll register, but first thing in the morning it is out cold. The back window leaked for a while, but the inside of the trunk is now bone dry and the problem still exists ... where do I look next? The oil pressure light is also lazy but not in complete sympathy with the gas gauge. Is there a connection? GEEATZ@aol.com Jim says: The first question I have is, "how's the temperature gauge?" The gas and temp. gauges are supplied with power from a voltage stabilizer on the back of the instrument cluster, and if both are acting weirdly, the stabilizer is the usual suspect. It's a small (1-1/2" X 1/2" X 3/8") metal box with three plug-in connections on one side. Of course, you won't notice a temp. gauge problem with the engine cold. Next, I'd look for corroded or loose connections, especially in the area that was wet. It's a good idea on an older car to loosen and retighten all the electrical connections every once in a while, anyway. Also, when the gauge is failing, check the voltage on the sender terminal on the gas tank hatch cover. If there's approximately 10 volts of pulsating DC, the problem is in the sender; if not, it's likely in the instrument cluster -- possibly the circuit board. They've been known to crack and give intermittent trouble. I'm not sure what you mean by "lazy" oil pressure light. The only connection between the light and the gauge is the circuit board; check that the connectors are seated. Back to the Menu B20 alternator conversion I recently bought a '67 Volvo 122S. It came with a reconstructed B20 engine. The engine still has a generator on it. I've heard that it is possible to install an alternator. I was wondering if you knew what all I would need? I know I need a voltage regulator, but is that all? Also, what kind of alternator would you recommend I install? Russell Hammack rhammack@webtv.net Phil says: First off, find out if you really have a B20 rather than the B18 that is original to your year Volvo. Look for the cast label at the extreme top rear of the distributor side of the block to be sure. The reason I ask is because no B20 was originally equipped with a generator (OK, readers, if I'm wrong, let me know) ... Protracted discussion between Phil and David happens here. There is much lifting of hoods, looking in books and noting of engine serial numbers. The only thing concluded is that there is a lot of variation between individual cars and engines, based on factors including the state of Odin's digestion on any given day. ... and the mounting boss in the block is different between generator and alternator-equipped engines. If your block has the alternator mounting "ear," you should be able to use a Bosch or Marchal (Motorola) alternator from a 140-series, and use the voltage regulator and regulator wiring harness from the donor car. Units from yet newer Volvos are physically larger and may be difficult to install comfortably. If your block has the three holes for mounting a generator bracket, I recommend the Swedish Embassy Delco conversion kit (see Archive article), which is a "one-wire" system, requiring no external regulator, and producing a lot more juice than the Bosch / Marchal units. Jim says: A couple of notes: Use a 55 amp alternator from a fuel injected car, not a 35 amp. The regulators for the Bosch and SEV Marchal alternators aren't interchangeable, and the generic over-the-counter replacements only work with the Bosch. Quite a few rebuilders won't touch the SEV alternator because of reliability problems; though I have one on my 544, I got a lifetime warranty and went through several before finding a good one. Back to the Menu How far to overbore a B20? I have a '69 P1800 with the stock B20B with a Weber 32/36 DGV. I am almost ready to paint the car and the engine will come out and be rebuilt. I have an ipd street performance cam for it already. I plan to bore it out. I already have a Clifford header and 2-1/4" exhaust. First question: how far can I bore the block and still have good reliability? A person who works at ipd suggested that I could bore to 2.4L from the stock 2.0L. Is that correct? If not, is 2.2L OK? If I went that far with the bore, and coupled with the exhaust and the head mods I am going to have done (a local guy ports, polishes, and installs larger Chevy valves in the heads along with slightly changing the combustion chambers), how much horsepower might I be able to expect? 150? 160? More? Also, my car has the 4.56 rear end ratio. Will it help lower the RPMs much at 60 (currently about 4000) if I switch to a 4.30? Or should I switch to a 4.10? Thanks for your help! Greg Simon Greg_Simon@stream.com Cameron says: My guess is that the "person at ipd" who mentioned a 2.4 liter B20 was referring to increasing displacement by both boring the cylinders and stroking the crankshaft. I've never seen a B20 that was bored to 2400. I have heard about one that some folks in Redondo Beach, CA, built several years ago. Rumor was that it was very fast and very prone to overheating. I would not bore the cylinders to this degree. By boring the B20 to accept B21 pistons, you can easily and safely reach 2130 cc. Stroking the crank to allow the pistons to travel farther away from the combustion chambers -- thus further increasing displacement -- is the better way to reach approximately 2400 cc. Things to take into consideration would be the camshaft and carburetion -- I don't think that a 32/36 DGV or DGEV would supply adequate fuel for such an engine. ipd's Street Performance cam may or may not be a good match for 2400 ccs. You would be steep on the learning curve with such an engine. TRS offers 2395 stroker kits. They aren't cheap. Topi would be able to offer better information than I on one of these kits. A 2130 can be made to perform well with a 32/36 Weber, Fuel Injection, DCOEs (or variants) and with one of several cams. I have used the Street Performance cam in a 2130 with excellent results: 178 horsepower measured at the flywheel. Porting the head is a good idea. I've heard from two schools of thought on polishing the ducts. Pro: smoother ducts create less turbulence and help facilitate flow. Con: semi-rough ducts create mild turbulence that helps to atomize the fuel mixture and results in a better burn. About oversized valves: if they're too large, the valves themselves can serve to shroud the port and actually decrease flow in and out of the combustion chambers. An alternative would be to use high ratio rocker assemblies: these are available in 1.6, 1.65 and 1.7:1 ratios instead of the standard 1.5:1. These also are not cheap. Potential benefit of high ratio rockers: more valve opening without higher cam lift or steeper cam lobes. Potential downside: greater likelihood of a valve and a piston making contact if the timing gear should fail -- this would be a bad thing. I realize that I'm not really answering your original question. What I can tell you is this: a 2130 cc B20 with a Street Performance cam, a ported and cc'ed head, the exhaust you describe and suitable induction can make an easy-to-drive, strong and reliable engine. One last note: an associate and I are currently collecting parts to assemble a 2395 stroker and we hope to have it together and running within the next year. I'll certainly be keeping notes as we progress. Phil says: If 60 MPH with 4.56 gears gives you 4000 RPM, 4.30 gears will give you 3772 RPM and 4.10 gears 3596 RPM. I can testify that Cameron's 2130 motor coupled to a 4.10 rear end pushes one back into the seat quite convincingly... Greg wants to know more: I have one more thought after reading your comments. You've convinced me to go with 2130 cc for the bore, but I know ipd does not sell pistons for the 2130 cc unless it is a '74 or '75 engine. Do you know of anyone who sells 2130 cc piston and ring sets for a '69 B20 and, if so, what the cost is and who the manufacturer is? I would ideally like to get the original Mahle pistons if possible. Also, would there be any other parts that should be changed with an overbore such as that? Greg Simon Greg_Simon@stream.com Cameron answers: The most likely reason for this, Greg, is that the '74 and '75 B20s use 24mm wristpins: the same size as the early generation B21. Earlier B20s use a 22mm wristpin. What this means is that later B20s will accept B21 pistons and rings with no modification required other than boring the cylinders. Also, the '74 and later B20 engines have some additional castings in the block between each pushrod that offer greater structural rigidity than the earlier blocks. Check the flywheel: if there are 8 bolts securing it to the crankshaft, it is a '74 or '75. If there are 6 bolts, it's an earlier B20. It is possible to use an earlier B20 for a 2130 project; this would require having a machine shop ream the wristpin end of the connecting rods to 24mm and giving up on the idea of using wristpin bushings. Depending on who you ask, this might not be a bad idea -- and it might not be a good idea. To make this even more complicated: the internals of the early blocks are standard while the laters are metric. What this means is that the flywheel and rods are matched to the crank, the wristpins are matched to the rods, the pistons are matched to the wristpins. This requires greater modification overall to reach 2130 cc. Alternative: get a later block from a salvage yard and have the cylinders bored about .125" over and assemble. Much easier. There are a few sources for oversized pistons for the early blocks: I've never seen one, I've never spoken to anyone who uses them and I've never come across any hard data that supports them or leads me to think that they'd be better than -- let alone as good as -- Volvo or Mahle B21 pistons. I'd be interested to know if there are any others out there with more information. More information: I saw you were interested in 2.2 liter pistons for early B20 engines. Dave Rauch at Competition Motors in Burlingame, CA (650-342-3111) managed to obtain a set for me and is currently rebuilding my '73 1800ES FI engine with them. They're forged and look great, but I'm not sure if any more are available from his source. Lee Powell lpowell@machinecode.com Back to the Menu Adding brake booster to 122S I want to put a brake booster into my '66 122S, as it takes a ridiculous amount of pedal pressure to apply the brakes. My question is: which Volvo do I scavenge the booster out of, and exactly what is involved in the upgrade? Any info you have on this would be greatly appreciated. Ian Koch marissa@softcom.net Cameron says: There are several approaches to this. The first is to locate an OEM unit; this would allow you to retain originality to some degree -- the 122 would still be a 122 and fairly close to "pure." The hard part is finding an OEM unit that works; I have contacted a couple organizations advertised in Hemmings, but neither was able to 1) provide, or, 2) repair an OEM vacuum unit. Another option is to retrofit a 140-series vacuum booster and master cylinder. This requires modification to the firewall, the pedal assembly and the hydraulic lines. I've seen this on two Amazons and the drivers of both cars stated that this was the best braking setup they had tried. Originality is largely lost with this approach, though the Volvo is still a Volvo. One problem is that the 140 braking system uses two circuits, each of which activates three wheels (both circuits activate both front wheels) as a safety measure. Your '66 is most likely a single circuit system, so you may have to be creative when routing the lines. Installing a proportioning valve for the rear brakes would be a good idea: this will help to prevent the rears from locking before the fronts. The third possibility is to install a "non-Volvo" booster. On my '68 122S, I have a Laycock unit that's a popular upgrade for early MGs. The original mounting bracket had to be modified and that element of Volvo originality was lost. It was a fairly simple install -- change the mounting bracket, then add one hydraulic line to connect the booster to the junction block on the firewall and connect the servo to the intake manifold. If a Laycock has appeal to you, contact your local British Car specialist or one of the mail order companies. Victoria British Ltd offers the same one that I have: part number is 7-090 and they can be reached at (800) 255-0088. Price is around $400. As a comparison, a 140 master cylinder and servo go for around $60 in the Portland area, and the last OEM unit I saw for sale (swap meet) was allegedly functional, was well used, and was priced at $200. Best of luck on this venture -- please let us know what you decide and what your results are. Back to the Menu Adding OD to an M40 I just recently purchased a '67 122S. I was told that it had an M40 transmission and that it was not possible to add an overdrive to the tranny. Is that true? Can I pull an M41 transmission from an 1800E that has an overdrive and install it in my 122? If so where can I find a good shape M41 transmission? Russell Hammack rhammack@webtv.net Phil says: The main difference between M40 and M41 gearboxes is a completely different output shaft. It is much simpler (and possibly less expensive) to replace the M40 than it is to attempt to turn it into an M41. The M41 was built into the '75 model year and is not difficult to find in salvage yards. 1800, 140 and early 200-series cars are potential donors. The 164 and the occasional 1800E were equipped with the M410, which looks similar but will not bolt to your bellhousing -- if the trans attaches to the bellhousing with four bolts from the rear, has an OD and the donor car has a motor that is not mounted at a slant, you've found an M41. Back to the Menu ES fuel pump & heavy steering My son and I recently became the proud owners of a 1972 1800ES. On that car the electric fuel pump vibrates, which makes a lot of noise inside the car (more that when you are under it). The rubber mounts appear to be good. It that a common phenomena? The steering is also extremely heavy. Even returning to center after cornering at a reasonable speed takes effort. I don't know whether or not that is the normal state of affairs or if the steering is heavier than it should be. It is quite precise with only a small amount of play. Parker Gray bulmer.gray@brunnet.net David says: The fuel pump is probably gonna fail! If it's mounted on rubber "mini motor mounts," the sound of a pump in good health would not be questioned. Volume test and checking fuel pressure would be recommended. Fire dangers are present whenever removing fuel lines for testing or replacing the pump! Phil says: Your steering problem indicates abnormalities and is potentially dangerous. Raise the front wheels off the ground -- you should be able to turn the steering wheel lock to lock with two fingers. If you encounter binding, one possible cause is a worn steering gearbox that was overtightened in an attempt to compensate for (or hide) the problem. The adjustment is the large screw in the top of the box. You can also check that it is full of gear oil by removing the adjacent filler plug (the square fitting) and looking into the box. If the steering is only heavy with the wheels on the ground, either the tire pressures are very low or you have an alignment problem to have checked out by a shop. Improper caster angle in particular does not show up as tire wear and can have a profound effect on steering effort at speed. Back to the Menu 1800S no spark Last night I went to change the points and when I put the distributor cap back on she turned over but no "fire"! Could it be that I may have blown a fuse to the ignition coil? I tried looking for the fuse box but the only thing I could find was that on the left side of the engine compartment there are two fuse holders ... each only holds two fuses ... seems as though there should be another fuse holder somewhere with more fuses? The reason I started hunting for fuses is because I pulled the coil wire off the distributor cap and held against the block while cranking ... no spark! Daniel C. Steenerson sterno@pacbell.net Phil says: Dan, the ignition coil is not fused, so that's not it. With the points open, check that the wire connection to the points / condensor is not somehow shorted. Also check that you gapped the points correctly and that they didn't slip closed. You did remember to put the rotor back on, didn't you (voice of experience speaking)? If all else fails, read the question about Checking a coil. Problem solved: Incorrect points gap. Back to the Menu 444 with B20E overheats I've got some problems with my '56 PV 444. It's got a B20E engine with 124 hp built in. It has a bigger thermal problem. When I bought it, the problem was that in a stop-and-go-traffic I had to turn on the heater so the water didn't get too hot. I suspected the water pump to be the problem because it seemed to leak water out of the shaft. I replaced it with a new one from my part-dealer (for B18/B20 engines). That surely was no good idea -- now I've got to turn on the heater everytime when driving in the city (speed up to 50-60 kmh). When I'm going faster (I tried up to 140kmh), it's no problem. The needle of the thermometer stays shortly ahead of the third green square. So, I replaced the radiator, too. No change. Then, I tried to clean the whole cooling system with a mixture of vinegar essence and water (1:1). Next useless try. So, anyone have an idea what I may have overlooked??? I'm sick of driving around with 25-30 degrees C. outside and the heater running on maximum. And most of all, I nearly blew up the engine today. That black smoke out of the exhaust worried me A LOT (and the surrounding people)! It looked like a smoke grenade went off. Chris Beaussencourt cbeaussencourt@hotmail.com Phil says: Chris, I watched your story develop on the bulletin boards and gave it some thought. It seems everyone (including me, at first) was so taken with the idea of a B20E with a D-Jet in a 444 that they overlooked the obvious. If my car was exhibiting the symptoms you are experiencing, had water in it and a fan that went around, the next thing I would do would be to yank out the thermostat and see if that fixed the problem. If so, I would replace it with a new thermostat in the correct heat range. Problem resolved: Bad thermostat. Back to the Menu 1800E front end bushings I own a 1970 P1800E. I face several problems after embarking on a front end rebuild: 1) According to a manual I referred to, the flanges of the lower wishbones are both supposed to face the rear of the car, but when I actually dismantled the wishbones, both the flanges were on the outsides of the wishbones. What is the correct state of affairs? 2) The two washers that go with the bushes are supposed to face which side of the bushes? There are two different sized washers. Your assistance is deeply appreciated. Dr. Nanda Kumar rnanda@tm.net.my Phil says: 1) That section of the Haynes manual is completely useless. Disregard it. The flanges are installed outwards. We think you should install the new bushings the same way as the ones you are removing. 2) The small washer goes on the front; the large on the rear. Be careful to press the new bushings in separately -- trying to press both at once while squeezing the wishbone between them can bend things. Back to the Menu 144 rear end sways At low speeds, the back end of my '74 144 sways back and forth. The wheels appear to be on straight and there's no noise associated with this. Are there any relatively common problems that would cause this? It is not noticeable at any speed over 30 km/h. Chad Zentner pacer@telusplanet.net Nothing we know of that wouldn't be obvious with a little inspection. Readers? Chad finds the answer: I finally figured out what was causing the rear end of my car to sway. One of the tires! No, no; it wasn't on crooked, but get this: the tread down to the middle of the "steel belt" layer "delaminated" from the tire! Odd, is it not? Basically, a 2cm thickness of tread separated from the rest of the tire while still being connected (the tread section) at both ends. I had the pleasure of experiencing this at 120 km/h and 4000 rpm while on the highway. One of the ends of the aformentioned strip broke off and started smacking the inside of the wheel well. Scared the HELL out of me. A monstrous THUNK, THUNK, THUNK down the highway; I was expecting to be picking up pieces of the rear end over the last 10 miles of road. Chad Zentner pacer@telusplanet.net Back to the Menu Splicing 1800S front body Replacing the front end on my P1800S -- what year Volvos can I use for front fenders and nose section? Mine is a '66. Where should I splice it in? Edward Toth bmt216a@atlcom.net David says: Putting used nose and fenders on would be a lot of fitting and welding. A good job could be done, but rarely is. If it's a rustfree car, get new parts and weld them where the originals were. The factory thought these were good places to splice and the new ones come cut to size. If the replacement fenders and nose are for rust repair, it may be best to cut across the floor and the windshield pillars. Why put rustfree fenders onto a rusting substructure? If you clip it, use similar donor. The bulk of the hulk would interchange. The early Jensen cars had the throttle linkage accross firewall in engine compartment; carbureted cars after that did not. Injected cars used cable instead of hydraulic to disengage the clutch. 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